I’ve held back on sharing this news until Criterion made the announcement.
John Cassavetes’ 1984 film Love Streams will be one of their August releases, and a video-essay, written and narrated by yours truly, will be included in the special features. My topic is the acting of Cassavetes’ wife and muse, one of the greatest actresses who has ever lived, Gena Rowlands. I am so pleased to have been asked to participate in this release in particular, since Cassavetes and Rowlands and the films they made together were so influential in my own personal development. It’s also just been wonderful to work with the folks at Criterion, a hip and classy outfit.
Love Streams is not a commercial or mainstream film. It wasn’t then, and it isn’t now. It is damn-near abstract, certainly one of the most abstract things Cassavetes did. It is also a masterpiece. He would be dead five years later at the age of 53. He knew that this would probably be his final film. Currently, if you want to see Love Streams, you have to have a VCR. It never came out properly on DVD. And even if you have it on VHS, what you have there is a bowdlerized version with 20 minutes cut out. Not acceptable. So the fact that Love Streams, a major major work by a major major director, is FINALLY getting the treatment it deserves is so fantastic. I am so happy to be a part of it.
Congratulations! Can’t wait!
Thanks, Bren! I can’t wait to see how they put it all together.
Sheila! Holy crap! That is awesome. Man, this is the best website, I am getting the perfect birthday gift ideas. Congratulation.
Thank you so much, Heather!!
Sheila that’s the best news! Congrats!
Love the gif! Ha!! Thanks, Jessie!
So, so cool! Congratulations – you must have been over the moon when they asked you!
Dan – I was! And then in the next second I thought: “Oh shit. Now I have to actually write the damn thing.” :)
Thanks though – it is really cool!!
Awesome news. And I remember this post. A dream come true?
D’Oh! I meant this one!
Helena – You remember!!! Yes.
The very first person I told was Steven Boone from that post – who said that “Love Streams” was on his list in that story I told. I almost felt like I was creating this whole entire thing for him.
But yes: to be asked to be a part of THIS particular project – has been really profound. My feeling about her work is so personal that I haven’t actually gotten up the guts to really WRITE about her yet – until now.
You’re an expert now, so I expect the floodgates to be opened.
And I don’t know, but maybe it’s easier (slightly) to do something like this for another person … just that one person who’ll get what you’re saying, rather than an anonymous audience.
Yeah, I think so! As long as I was my own boss, I could keep putting it off. Because I knew it would take so much out of me. I’m not casual about Gena Rowlands – and she’s so magnificent that sometimes all I feel like saying is: “The woman is a genius. That’s all. The best ever.” Naturally, I had to kind of gather my forces to say a little bit more than that! The piece is quite focused – and they gave me free reign to go as actor-nerdy as I wanted to. So that’s what I did.
I can’t wait to see how they put the video together, the clips and photos, all that. They do such a good job with stuff like this.
And, you know, as great as Gena is – there really isn’t a lot there ABOUT her. Cassavetes gets all the press. I mean, she is included – but she’s always looped in with him. I tried to separate her out. Cassavetes certainly never “took credit” for her genius – he was just psyched that she was in his films. But her genius is all her own.
Speaking of Love Streams: Michael Ventura is going to be doing the DVD commentary track. He was primarily a music journalist who wanted to write a book on Cassavetes, and Cassavetes allowed him to tag along during the filming of Love Streams. Ventura, without ever having made a film, ended up making a documentary about the making of Love Streams called “I’m Almost Not Crazy.” (That’s one of Gena’s lines from the film.)
That documentary is on Youtube in multiple parts and it is WELL worth watching. Interviews with everyone, Al Ruban, Cassavetes, Rowlands. I watched it obsessively during my research for this piece.
And I’m thrilled that Ventura – who eventually did write a book as well about the making of Love Streams, will be doing the commentary track!
Good for you, Sheila. Congratulations!
Thanks!!
Here is a link to Michael Ventura’s book about the making of Love Streams.
Fascinating detail: Peter Bogdanovich was friends with Cassavetes. (He appears as himself in the final scene of Opening Night.) At the time of Love Streams, Bogdanovich was in a terrible downward spiral. His girlfriend Dorothy Stratten had been murdered and he had become a depressive recluse. One day he gets a call from Cassavetes – asking him to come to the “set” of Love Streams (the driveway of the actual Cassavetes/Rowlands home) and direct a small scene. Bogdanovich was like, “What?? You’re John Cassavetes! YOU direct it!” But Cassavetes insisted. “Please, I need your help on this scene, please, come on over tomorrow and direct it.”
It is a scene between Diahnne Abbott and Cassavetes – she comes to visit him, and they stand in the doorway of the house and have a small conversation.
So Bogdanovich – because he couldn’t say no to John – no one could say no to John – came over the next day, read the scene, did a brief rehearsal, and then shot it. Cassavetes totally handed over the reins of the film to Bogdanovich – and was pleased with the result.
It was only later that Bogdanovich realized that Cassavetes did that because he was worried about him. Cassavets wanted to “get him out of the house,” give him a reason for living, remind him that he had talent and that he needed to get back to work. But of course Cassavetes didn’t frame it that way which might have made Bogdanovich feel that it was a pitying gesture.
That small moment is so indicative of who Cassavetes was as a man, an artist, a friend. Generous. Caring.
What a sweet story. And congratulations! They picked the right person; I love reading what you write about acting AND movies!
Rachel – thank you so much!!
What awesome news, Sheila! Congratulations! I love the story about Bogdanovich, such a kind, caring thing for Cassavetes to do.
Maureen – thank you!
And I know, about Bogdanoivch. Just so generous. And it really is a lovely little scene, too.
I own about 50 Criterion films. Reckon it’ll be about 51 come August. Cool.
Steve – Wow, 50!!
I can’t wait to see it all put together. The suspense is already killing me. It’s such a great and weird film – have you seen it??
I’ll admit, I’ve never heard of Love Streams before, but I’m super excited for you! YAY!
Thanks, May !
Many Cassavetes fans haven’t even seen this film – it is completely impossible to find, as of now. So this is big big news, not just for me – hee hee – but for film fans. Love Streams is, essentially, a lost film right now.
It’s coming back into circulation. Halleluia!
This is amazingly wonderful, and so well-deserved! Congrats, Sheila!
Thank you rae!
Haven’t seen it. Really looking forward to it.
Oh I’m so excited!! So many people have never had the opportunity to see Love Streams. It’s one of his best. Can’t wait to hear people’s thoughts on it.
Wow congrats to the fantastic gig Sheila! Love what Criterion is doing. I’ve never seen Love Streams but I like others of Cassavetes, the ones i’ve seen. Gloria, A woman under the influence and The killing of a Chinese bookie. Gena Rowlands is fantastic.
Max – thank you so much! Yes those three films you mention are awesome – Gena Rowlands in Gloria makes me so happy I can’t even tell you.
Love Streams is extremely out there – there’s a couple of dream sequences, one involving an opera … but it is a powerful and beautiful film – all about family and love. John Cassavetes and Rowlands star – and Seymour Cassel is in it too – the whole old band of Cassavetes regulars.
I am so pleased to be a part of this release!
I think she’s so raw in her acting, really rare to see a leading lady look as rough as she did, as beautiful as she was. I always thought they were such an odd couple, in a really sweet way, but I don’t know too much about them. I’ll be sure to check it out. Opera dream sequence, that sounds great! :)
It’s totally bizarre.
Yes: she is so gorgeous and yet boy, her face shows she has LIVED.
Oh my God Sheila! I’m in tears! So wonderful! I can’t wait! This is so right! Nobody could do this except you! Congratulations!!
Thank you!! You referenced Gena in your last email to me – ha! I still was afraid to announce it just in case for whatever reason it fell through – but I was like, “God, Regina gets it!!”
Oh God Sheila! I devoured everything you wrote about Gena & Cassavetes, including the fascinating post right before this one, so excited for you, to read this and to finally see Love Streams!